frost



(No Model.)

0 0'. FROST. Adjustable Legfor Furniture. No. 238,104.

Patented Feb. 22, I881.

N)PETERS. PKOTQLITIOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D C.

UNITED STATES CAROLINE G. FROST,

PATENT OFFICE.

OF NEwYoRK, N. x.

ADJUSTABLE LEG FOR FURNITURE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 238,104, dated February 22, 1881.

Application filed December 9, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, CAROLINE 0. FROM, of the city and county of New York, in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Legs for Furniture, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates chiefly to the legs employed for supporting the folding portions of folding lounges or sofas when the same are extended for use as beds, and an important object is to provide a leg which will automatically swing downward, so as to depend from the folding portion, to which it is applied, when the same is extended, and be automatically locked in such position, and which will also unlock itself and swing into a position parallel with the edge of said folding portion when the latter is folded.

To this end theinven tion consistsin the combination, with afurniture-leg, of a circular center piece adapted to be rigidly attached to the edge of the folding portion of a lounge or sofa, or any other article of furniture, a ring-shaped portion from which said leg projects, fitting outside and adapted to turn upon said center piece, and a bolt movable transversely in said center piece and adapted to engage with a notch in said ring-shaped portion to lock the lat ter in position. The notch in said ring-shaped portion is preferably in line, or nearly in line, with said leg, and if the center piece be attached to the said folding portion, so that the locking-bolt will stand in line when the latter is in use the boltwill be caused, byits gravity, to enter the locking-notch, and the leg be thus securely locked in place.

The invention further consists in certain novel details of construction to be hereinafter explained.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a folding lounge with its folding portion extended for use and supported bylegs of my improved construction. Fig. 2 represents a face view of my improved device in a position for use, and upon a larger scale than in Fig. 1, and a portion of the piece to which it is attached. Fig. 3 represents a face View similar to Fig. 2, showing the position of the leg when the folding portion is folded. Fig. 4 represents another face view of my improved device, showing the center piece adjusted to remove the locking-bolt. Fig. 5 represents a transverse section of my improved device on the line mm, Fig. 3. Fig. 6 represents a view of the back of the ringshaped portion of the leg, and Fig. 7 repre sents a face view of the base-plate, which forms a seatfor the center piece and said ring-shaped portion.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.

A designates a lounge or sofa having a folding portion, A, hinged at a in the usual way, and adapted to be folded up to form the seat of the lounge or sofa, or extended, as shown, to form a bed.

A designates the outer edge of the folding portion A, to which the legs are secured for supporting said folding portion when extended.

My improved device is composed of a circular flat center piece, 13, and a surrounding ring-shaped portion, 0, adapted to be turned thereon, and provided with a leg, 0, projecting radially from it. In order to provide a proper seat for the ring-shaped portion to turn upon, I employ a bed or base plate, D, of sufficient diameter to receive it and rigidly attached to the article to which it is connected. The center piece, B, is secured concentrically upon the base or bed plate, and both together are secured to the edge of the folding portion A of the lounge or sofa by means of a single screw, 1), extending through both said pieces and into the wood. The ring-shaped portion 0 surrounds the center piece, and said center piece is provided upon its back or rear side with an annular rabbet, 0, receiving a lip, 61, upon the ring-shaped portion 0, whereby the said portion 0 is retained in place upon the base-plate D, y'et afforded facility for turning thereon.

Across the face of the center piece, B, is a transverse groove or slideway, and therein is fitted a sliding locking-bolt, c, said groove or slideway and said bolt being preferably dovetailed, so as to retain the bolt in place. The end of the bolt 6 is adapted to enter a notch, f, in the ring-shaped portion G, and by this means the portion 0 may be securely locked, relatively, to the center piece, B. When the part A is extended the legs 0 will, through gravity, depend downward therefrom, and if the center piece, B, be secured to the part A so as to extend in the direction of the legs 0 when so depending, the bolt 0 will fall, by gravity, and enter the notchf, as shown in Fig. 2. Again, if fixed in this position the bolt will, when the part A is folded, drop, by gravity, out of the notch f, and leave the legs 0 free to be swung into a position parallel with the edge of the part A, as shown. It is very desirable that the leg when unlocked should swing automatically from the position shown in full outline in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 1, and in case the notch f with which the bolt engages is a little out of line with the center of the leg 0, and said leg inclines slightly to one or the other side of a perpendicular, the leg 0 will automatically turn from the position shown in fullontline in Fig. 3 to that shown in dotted outline therein. It is desirable, however, that the leg 0 should be prevented from making any more than the above-described quarter of a turn, and to prevent this I construct the meeting or bearing surfaces of the base-plate D and the ringshaped portion 0, one (in this instance the base-plate) with one or two arc-shaped grooves, and the other (in this instance the ring-shaped portion C) with corresponding lugs or projections h, adapted to enter said grooves, and by striking against the ends thereof to limit the circumferential movement of the portion 0.

Although I prefer to arrange the lockingbolt 6 so that it shall, under the influence of gravity, automatically lock the leg fast, it might be otherwise arranged and actuated by a suitably-arranged spring.

I have represented in the ring-shaped portion 0 a recess or groove, i, adapted to form a continuation of the groove or slideway f when brought into line therewith, and j designates a screwinserted through the parts B D, and in to the wood, so as to keep them from tnrnin g upon their central screw, b, both independently and together. The bolt 6 covers the screw 1), and to remove the devices the screw j must first be taken out and the center piece, B, turned to bring the bolt 6 in line with the recess or groove 5, as shown in Fig. 4, whereupon the bolt may be removed and access afforded to the screw b.

By my invention I provide a very simple leg, which may be readily applied, and will be automatically swung into and out of a position for use and automatically locked when in the former position.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with a furniture-leg, of a circular center piece adapted to be rigidly secured to an article of furniture, a ringshaped portion from which said leg project-s, fitting outside and adapted to be turned upon said center piece, and a locking-bolt movable transversely in said center piece, to engage with a notch in said ring-shaped portion, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination, with a furniture-leg, of a circular center piece adapted to be secured to an article of furniture, a ring-shaped portion from which said leg projects fitting outside and adapted to turn upon said center piece, and a locking-bolt movable transversely in said center piece, to engage with anotchin said ring-shaped portion in line, or nearly in line, with said leg, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination of the base-plate D, the center piece, B, having a rabbet, c, at the back, the ring-shaped portion 0, having the annular lip d, the leg 0 and notch f, and the lockingbolt 6, all substantially as specified.

, CAROLINE O. FROST.

Witnesses:

CHANDLER HALL, RICHARD W. FROST. 

